Letter | Think before you legalize marijuana

All those advocating that we throw in the towel and legalize drugs should seriously think it over. Yes, alcohol can be consumed responsibly, but even with alcohol abuse we pay a hefty price and we all know that only a tiny fraction of those driving under the influence get caught.

The next step up is marijuana, which we're experimenting with in Colorado and Washington. The Colorado governor is already calling it a mistake.

Harder drugs like cocaine and heroin have been tried in Switzerland and Holland with horrendous results. Who can forget the 60 Minutes segment of the park in Zurich where the only hope for addicts was that they overdose and die?

Drug abuse is a worldwide problem and should be dealt with by the worldwide community by making it sheer hell for drug dealers anywhere. Giving up because it's hard only brings more problems.

The writer lives in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C.

This story was originally published May 1, 2015 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Letter | Think before you legalize marijuana."